The use of mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, tablets, and laptops, has become commonplace to accomplish routine daily tasks. For example, these devices are used for communicating with others by email or texting, obtaining information from the Internet, and even ordering items from online retailers. In order to perform these tasks, the mobile computing device is wired or wirelessly connected to a wide area network (WAN) or a local area network (LAN). One method of enabling a computing device to wirelessly exchange data with third parties and connect to the Internet over a local area network is through a WiFi connection.
Many organizations, such as coffee houses, department stores, and hotels, provide their customers with wired or wireless access to their local area network. When providing access to this local area network, typically through a WiFi connection, these business entities leverage techniques to authenticate users and present them with terms and conditions of service on their mobile computing device prior to enabling unabated general access to Internet resources. The process of presenting terms and conditions on a WiFi network prior to allowing a user to access the network is often referred to as a “captive portal.” After being directed to the terms and conditions using a captive portal, each user must acknowledge the terms and conditions of service by taking some affirmative action using the mobile computing device before network access is granted, for instance, clicking on an “OK” or “Agree” button in a dialog box or pop-up window displayed after the end of the terms of service.
For example, in order to gain general Internet access in the situation described above, a user would first instruct the mobile computing device to join the specified WiFi network. Rather than enabling all communications and routing Internet traffic, the router associated with the WiFi device providing the local area network operates to redirect all network traffic to its captive portal. The user is presented with the terms and conditions for the WiFi network on a web page through the captive portal. After the terms and conditions are accepted by the user, the user's mobile computing device is remembered by the router and then general access to the Internet is enabled. Thereafter, a landing web page is presented on the mobile computing device welcoming the user to that network.
While the above-referenced process is beneficial in that provides a customer with access to a network when visiting a particular business location, the organization is missing out on an opportunity to convey additional information to the user that may improve the customer experience and potentially increase revenue generation for the organization. What is needed is a system and method that leverages the customer's use of the organization's local area network to improve the customer experience and potentially increase revenue generation for the organization. The present invention fills this need and other needs.